Of Snow and Candy
by Kitsune Alchemist
Summary: Giftfic for Ladyasile. Pairing: ZabuzaXHaku Prompt: Candy Oneshot.


Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, though I am working on a plan to claim them as my own. Until then, I'm going to hide from the lawyers who frequently decide to show up at my door just in case.

Written for: Ladyasile. Thank you so much for reading my other stories and I bow to you for guessing correctly.

Pairing: HakuXZabuza

Prompt(s): Candy; Valentines Day

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The mist for which Zabuza was named had been left behind in the cold hours of the morning. The weak streams of sunlight added warmth to neither the air nor the frosted earth, and the last clutching strands of winter claimed the woods and the nearby village as its own. The Demon of the Hidden Mist might have been shivering had it not been something he considered beneath him. As it was, he crouched on the top of a tree, the branches undisturbed by his body weight as he kept his eyes honed on the village beneath him.

"Zabuza-san?" The nearly silent voice of Haku startled him from his reverie, though he didn't move in the slightest, keeping his eyes trained on the ground below. A simple sound of acknowledgement was all that he gave, but Haku accepted it and mumbled something softly. The wind jumbled the words to a state of incoherency and Zabuza finally flicked his head to the side to glance at the girlish boy who stood slightly behind him, balanced impossibly carefully on the thinnest branch on the tree.

Wordlessly, Zabuza shifted to the side, proffering the wider branch that he was perching on. Haku smiled gracefully and Zabuza realized that he wasn't wearing his mask for once. Instead, he was wearing his girlish civilian outfit. Zabuza narrowed his eyes surreptitiously and grunted, "What's that for?" Motioning to the thin cloth, he jerked his hand back with an easy grace as it brushed the cloth near the boy's waist.

"Eto… Tomorrow is… I was wondering if I might…" Haku started, not quite stuttering over the words, but still clearly worried to ask. "Could I go into the village?"

The whisper was just loud enough fro Zabuza to hear, and while part of him objected to the boy leaving, his mouth only growled, "Do whatever you want. We're leaving here tomorrow once night falls." Without another word, he turned his attentions back to keeping an eye out for any other ninja in the area. Tonight he would scout out his target and by tomorrow he would be dead and they would be gone.

Wordlessly, Haku disappeared, looking nothing more than a faintly colored blur as he ran at something close to civilian speed across the white snow. Had anyone closer than Zabuza been watching as the boy headed toward the village, they would have seen the feint smile on Haku's face as he mulled over his plan in his head.

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Morning dawned in shrouds of mist and Zabuza still sat silently, though he was keeping note of how late it was. In this area, dawn meant that it was at least toward the afternoon. He hadn't moved since Haku had disappeared yesterday, even when the boy came back, carefully walking so as not to upset something hidden inside his shirt. Zabuza was pretty sure it wasn't alive or heavy, so he decided not to say anything about it. Let Haku have what he wanted once in a while.

Eventually, the cold at the top of the tree's got to him fully and he leapt down, glancing at the sun. He had spent another six or seven hours balancing at the top of the tree and watching. Here in the north, those few hours meant that sunset was approaching yet again.

Drawing near to the spot where they were supposed to have camped, he found Haku curled up on the ground, resting in the snow as if it were the warmest blanket. His head rested on his hands. His breathing was soft and steady as if sleeping, but his eyes were carefully open, watching the surrounding foliage. He sat up as Zabuza approached and gracefully pulled himself to his feet, giving a small bow. "Ano… Zabuza-san? I-I wanted to…"

The shinobi's voice fell short and instead he gently picked something up and held it out to Zabuza. The elder man glanced down at it with a raised brow before plucking it from the younger ninja's outstretched hand. Without really looking at it for too long, he knew what it was. "What's this for?"

"I-It's the Fourteenth of February. V-Valentine's day," Haku blurted, tripping over his words. Zabuza stopped moving, his body tensing slightly. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have-"

His words stopped abruptly as Zabuza strode forward. Haku backed away fearfully, almost tripping which was definitely an unusual trait for him. Zabuza reached up and ripped down the bandages that covered his mouth. The sharp teeth weren't seen for more than a second before Zabuza, the Demon of the Hidden Mist, pressed his lips to Haku's with a nearly bruising force.

Haku jerked back fractionally as an instinct and for a brief moment, Zabuza felt sick with the thought that he had been wrong and this wasn't what Haku had been getting at. Why his heart plummeted at that thought, he wasn't sure, but it crashed into a pit in his stomach. A few seconds later, it did a double-take and practically exploded in his chest as Haku reached up and wrapped his thin arms around his neck, carefully responding with unsure hesitancy. It was a long moment before either pulled away and when they did, there was blood on Haku's lip from being cut by Zabuza's fang-like teeth.

"Zabuza-san?" Haku asked, his voice wavering slightly. Bending to reach the boy, Zabuza flicked his tongue over the blood on the porcelain lips. Haku looked startled, but didn't move, letting Zabuza do as he wished.

Said ninja pulled back, eyes narrowed. "What do you want, Haku?" The question was snapped out, harsh and biting, but it demanded to be answered and answered with the truth.

"I-I-" A gulp and the child started over. "I want to be your tool, Zabuza-san," Haku finished, a step away from being timid.

Zabuza smirked suddenly, a Cheshire grin on his face, made ever creepier by fangs. "How far does that wanting stretch?" Haku didn't need to know how long Zabuza had waited for a correct moment to ask a question like this.

Haku opened his mouth to answer and then seemed to get the point Zabuza was trying to make. A cherry blossom blush found its way onto his marble cheeks, but he stepped forward bravely and gave a half nod. "Of course."

"Good. But not today," Zabuza said, a grin fixating itself on his face. Yanking the bandages up again, he kissed Haku through them and glanced over his shoulder at the village barely visible through the trees. "However, I think we can stay here a few more days."

Haku gave a shy smile and nodded, and suddenly Zabuza was very glad to have this child. Grinning one more time behind his mask, he added, "Oh, and thanks for the candy."

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There we go. I can't seem to make this story to romantic even after working on it forever, so I decided to forgo being to romantic and making the characters OOC. I hope this is to your liking Ladyasile!


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